The Agenda

President Donald Trump has threatened to “substantially” hike US tariffs on goods from India over its purchases of Russian oil – a key source of revenue for Moscow’s war on Ukraine. Trump’s threat has been met with an angry reaction from the Indian government.  “The targeting of India is unjustified and unreasonable,” India Foreign Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement. “Lik...

The leader of the Labour party has called for a full public inquiry into St John’s Ambulance charity, saying it is “regrettable” that it has not taken place  to date “as survivors need transparency”. Ivana Bacik made the call while speaking in the Dáil and urged the Taoiseach Micheál Martin to “join us in supporting survivors' calls for a full public inquiry.”  Ms Bacik is the latest pol...

The National Bus and Rail Union (NBRU) is “urgently” calling for transport police to be introduced, after a video of a minor assaulting a man on Dublin Bus caused outrage. Tom O’Connor, assistant general secretary of the NBRU, labelled public transport “unsafe” after the clip showed a hooded child repeatedly hitting the man in the back of the head. In the video, the attacker is so small, he has to...

Ryanair has delayed its move to 100pc paperless boarding passes to November 3. The move, first announced last autumn, had been planned for May, but will now coincide with the rollout of its less busy winter schedule. It means passengers will no longer be able to print boarding passes when checking in online. Travel writer and Journalist Eoghan Corry spoke to us this morning on The Agenda about thi...

Sinn Féin is accused of “fearmongering” over the threat of conscription of Irish citizens, and running a “misinformation” campaign over the proposed removal of the triple lock. A government minister has written to the party over a series of public meetings it has held around the country, claiming party representatives are making “incendiary” statements. Junior European Affairs Minister Thomas Byrn...

Specialist health nurses trained in child protection who visit families when children are young could help prevent ‘disaster scenarios’ with Tusla later on,  Louth  TD Ruairí Ó Murchú has said. The Sinn Féin TD spoke about early family interventions at the Oireachtas Children’s Committee over the last number of weeks and highlighted how specialised public health nurses to which every chi...

Dublin Rape Crisis Centre has welcomed the judgment of the Court of Appeal upholding the High Court’s ruling in a civil suit taken by Nikita Hand against Conor McGregor in November 2024.   Chief Executive of Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, Rachel Morrogh, said: “Today’s decision by the Appeals Court confirms the finding by a High Court jury last November that Conor McGregor raped Nikita Hand and t...

The Asthma Society of Ireland is calling for decisive action in Budget 2026 to alleviate the affordability crisis facing people with asthma.  New survey data, collected by the organisation, has revealed that one in four (24%) respondents have gone without asthma medication at times in the previous three months due to cost. More than half experienced difficulties making ends meet, with a quart...

Today marks 50 years since the Miami Showband massacre. On 31 July 1975, three band members were murdered by a loyalist paramilitary group at Buskhill in Co Down. One of Ireland's most popular entertainment and recording acts, the Miami Showband was targeted as they travelled home to Dublin following a gig. A fake army patrol made up of Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) soldiers and Ulster Volunteer F...

Asylum seekers left without accommodation on arrival into the State are “placed in a situation of extreme material poverty”, but the State’s human rights watchdog failed to prove they are in “a state of degradation incompatible with human dignity”, the Court of Appeal has ruled. The judgment, published on Wednesday, overturns a High Court finding that the State’s failure to provide accommodation f...

The number of foreign visitors to Ireland in June was down 2% on the same time last year. New data from the Central Statistics Office shows that 654,000 tourists arrived in the country last month - an increase of 6% in comparison with June 2023. The 2% decline last month is in contrast with more significant falls in visitor numbers between January and May, compared with the same months last year....

We were joined on The Agenda this morning by Killian Allen from Blackrock, and Killian runs a funfair which travels to various locations across Leinster.  Killian took to social media earlier this week, unhappy with a decision by Louth County Council to only permit him to run the fair for 3 days this year - Killian says he was always permitted to run the fair for 10/11 days and there has neve...

The home is the most dangerous place for a woman, Women’s Aid have said. It comes following the murder of Vanessa Whyte and her two children Sara (13) and James (14) at their home in Co. Fermanagh last week. Within the last 29 years in Ireland, 63% of murdered women were killed in their home, while more than half were killed by a current or former intimate male partner. CEO of Women’s Aid, Sarah B...

Alcohol treatment cases have risen by almost 20% in the last seven years, official figures show. The number of alcohol cases presenting with additional problem drugs has increased even further, driven by a three-fold jump in cocaine. Health experts are very concerned at the combined use of alcohol and cocaine, saying the mixture of substances “increases toxicity” to major organs and fuels violent...

The incoming garda commissioner Justin Kelly is taking the reins of the organisation at a time when the demands placed on it by a rapidly changing, complex society are at the highest they have ever been. As the head of law enforcement and national security he will be expected to earn every cent of the €314,000 salary. So what are the five biggest challenges he faces in the five years ahead? Crime...

At least 56 Irish people have been arrested by the US ­Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office so far this year, as Donald Trump embarks on a major immigration crackdown. Of these, 43 Irish citizens have been deported or are due to be deported. In general, the figures show ICE has tripled its number of daily ­arrests since Mr Trump’s inauguration, that the majority of people being arreste...

Businesses in Navan's Church Hill and Bedford Place say trade is suffering with a huge drop in footfall since work began on the Navan 2030 project in the area. Customers are staying away because they cannot negotiate the maze of bollards blocking off footpaths, the lack of parking is deterring shoppers, noise and dust is driving people elsewhere and water outages forced at least one local premises...

Cllr Marianne Butler is urging people in Louth to have their say on commercial rates on empty business premises. Cllr Butler explained “that since 2014 vacant commercial premises that can demonstrate that they are for sale or available to rent are only liable for half their commercial rates bill”. The rationale for this is to give the owner time to find a new tenant or new owner. The difficulty wi...

The Government has been urged to remain vigilant and responsive to new drug trends after it banned an addictive cannabis substitute which has been commonly sold in vapes or as edibles and which has been linked to serious medical episodes and psychosis in young people. The classification of hexahydrocannabinol (HHC) as an illegal drug, agreed by Cabinet on Tuesday, means the import, export, product...

A Dublin woman who rescued an Indian man from a mob of teenagers who beat him, stripped him and stole from him has said he was “left for dead”. Gardaí are investigating a “racially motivated” attack that took place at Parkhill Lawns, Kilnamanagh, on July 19 at around 6pm. The group of attackers falsely accused the man of acting inappropriately around children before and after he was set upon. Jenn...

A garda has suffered multiple stab wounds following an unprovoked knife attack in Dublin city centre yesterday evening. One man aged in his 20s is in custody following the incident. The officer, who was on routine patrol in the city, suffered puncture wounds to his side. He was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and is “recovering well” and expected to be discharged, a Garda spok...

One of Ireland’s leading obesity specialists has claimed the ‘hijacking’ of the weight loss treatments by the beauty industry has led to an increase in hospitalisations.  The licensing of weight loss drugs has been widely hailed them as a “game changer” in the fight against obesity.  However, Professor Donal O’Shea warned their arrival is not unalloyed good news and cautioned t...

A Louth councillor has called for a database to be set up, listing volunteer water search and rescue groups across the county. Drogheda councillor, Debbie McCole, submitted a motion to the July meeting of Louth County Council, “noting the recent deaths from drowning and calls from Water Safety Ireland for heightened vigilance around water.” Debbie spoke to us this morning on The Agenda about this....

Donald Trump has given Russia “10 or 12 days” to reach a peace deal with Ukraine. The US president slashed the 50-day deadline he had issued to Moscow earlier this month to end Europe’s biggest war since 1945 or face “severe” tariffs on its trade. Ukraine welcomed Mr Trump’s intention to bring the deadline forward by almost a month and his admission he was “very disappointed” by Russian president...

Animal welfare charities say they are under “constant pressure” due to a significant increase in cases of animal neglect since the pandemic. Chief Inspector for the ISPCA, Conor Dowling, said there has been a rise in animal neglect due to a “lasting fallout from Covid and the lockdowns” when dog ownership and breeding increased.  “The last few years have been the busiest we’ve encountered. It...